I'm Yael Saar,
(a mama on a mission to spread Self-Kindness) and the Founder and Keeper of the Mama's Comfort Camp: a refueling station for moms of kids of any age, where hundreds of mothers from around the world support each other in a loving, judgement-free safe space. Our online forum is a private facebook group, and if you are in the Ithaca, NY, area, you can come play with us in the real world. Join us?

Looking for Something?

Search

Spread the Comfort

Yogibo! (The first Mama’s Comfort Camp product review).

I don’t get to rest on the sofa that often. Too many things to do; not enough time.
Besides, our beautiful sofa is almost comfortable, but not quite.
And now, I hardly bother with it anymore because of the Yogibo Max: a giant, shockingly comfortable beanbag.
But calling it a beanbag doesn’t do it justice. When I think “beanbag” I think of the shifty things that I remember from childhood: they promised comfort, but they didn’t quite deliver. Kinda like my living room sofa.

(Me, not on the sofa, not watching the end of the movie… Photo by DH)

The Yogibo is different. The first time you relax into it is remarkable. Everybody goes “oooooh.”
It’s a surprising combination of softness and firm support:
the tiny soft beads inside move under the body’s weight until gravity and friction reach some magic point of contentment and rest. In it, my skin feels softness, my spine feels firmness, and my muscles relax into an embrace that is soft AND strong.

I want to think of myself that way.
Recovering from postpartum depression was a journey of discovering the “AND”.
Healing from deep despair required me to embrace both my vulnerability AND my strength.

Much of my work at the Mama’s Comfort Camp centers on giving mamas (and myself) permission to want more than one thing at the same time: I want to meet my children’s needs without giving up meeting my own. I want to give myself (and other mothers) permission to rest our bones despite a to do list that would require double the hours in the day and more arms than an octopus to be accomplished.
And this beanbag, which I have owned for two weeks, has become an ally in both rest and work: I’ve taken more short self-kindness pauses every day since it moved in, and I also do more of my work here: I’m far more comfortable writing when cradled in its embrace than when sitting at the computer desk.

(Cradled in comfort while writing this very blog post. Photo by my 9yo)

This is why this beanbag is the very first product review I feature here on the Mama’s Comfort Camp.
I was not approached by the makers of Yogibo, I approached them.

Yogibo is made in the US (in Nashua NH), but the concept and the fabric are originally from Israel.
Where I come from, many children’s play spaces feature these beanbags, and many of my friends have them in their homes. I’ve coveted them for years, but it’s hard to carry one overseas in a suitcase, because it’s bigger than me.

So imagine my delight when the Bloom in Ithaca play space opened recently, and in it, lo and behold: Yogibos of all sizes. I jumped with glee! Literally: I jumped up happily and landed right onto the soft support of the Yogibo Max. (I get no points for originality, everybody jumps on these beanbags, they totally invite it, check out the video below).

I have recently started the Beloved Backers program here at the Mama’s Comfort Camp, and it occurred to me that the “Shockingly Comfortable Beanbag” and Mama’s Comfort Camp would be a match made in heaven.

So I gathered my courage and called the Yogibo people, and asked to speak to the owner. And what do you know, it’s a small world.

Eyal, the owner of Yogibo, is someone I used to know.
He served in the Israel Defense Forces with my brother.
When I moved to NYC, and came to Israel for a short visit, I went to visit my brother at his military base. He was supposed to stay at the base over the single weekend I was going to be at home, and I was not happy about that. When I got there, I asked out loud: “Who do I have to bribe so my little brother will come home this weekend?”
I didn’t have to bribe anybody, but somebody had to give up spending the weekend with his girlfriend so my brother and I would be able to spend quality time together before I went back to NYC.
That someone was Eyal. This story happened almost 20 years ago.
So yeah, small world, and OMG, time flies.

Eyal and I talked, I explained my vision for the Mama’s Comfort Camp, and Eyal wanted to support us immediately.
I am so grateful for that. I am also really happy to be able to bring this wonderful product to your attention, with a discount: Use the coupon MAMASCAMP15 to get 15% off when shopping at yogibo.com.
(Ithaca folks, don’t order online, these products are available locally at Bloom in Ithaca on the commons, and you won’t have to pay for shipping, which would even out with the coupon.)

The retail value of the Yogibo Max is $229. If that sounds like a lot of money, consider that it is a lot cheaper than a recliner, and way more comfortable. It might function as a bed, meditation spot, a workstation if you work on a laptop, and lounger/sofa. I’m plotting my way to getting another one, because the competition (with DH+kids) is fierce. Nothing else we ever owned is quite that comfortable.

(My boys, at rest. Photo by me)

Check out this cool video demonstration:

Full Disclosure: I get to keep the Yogibo Max in exchange for this review and for promoting the discount code on this blog post and in our facebook group. But you know that I would NEVER be recommending anything I don’t absolutely love, right?

This is my first product review and it won’t be the last. The plan is to feature mostly products I love already: I intend to be the one approaching companies I hand-pic to become Beloved Backers of the support structure I created for mothers. Some Backers will pay me money, others will compensate me with their products if those are useful for me and my family. All the products or services I will ever feature will have something to do with physical or emotional comfort.

Please help us bring the Mama's Comfort Camp to more mothers by sharing this post via: